The most widely used microbial pesticides are derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. This bacterial agent is used to control a wide range of leaf-eating caterpillars, Japanese beetles and mosquitoes. Bacillus thuringiensis produces a proteinaceous paraspore or crystal which is toxic upon ingestion by a susceptible insect host. For example, B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-1 produces a crystal called a delta toxin which is toxic to the larvae of a number of lepidopteran insects. The cloning and expression of this B.t. crystal protein gene in Escherichia coli has been described in the published literature (Schnepf, H. E. and Whitely, H. R. [1981] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78:2893-2897). U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,885 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,036 both disclose the expression of B.t. crystal protein in E. coli. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,036 B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-1 is disclosed as being available from the well-known NRRL culture repository at Peoria, Ill. Its accession number there is NRRL B3792. B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD-73 is also available from NRRL. Its accession number is NRRL B-4488.